To Know Is To Love

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Sunday, 13 May 2012

If thegovernment werereallywilling to send local Englishteachersto overseasto improvethe level of masteryand competence,of course it is most welcomed.There are alsoopportunities to go abroad for teacherslike us.RecommendationsfromTan SriYahaya Ibrahim,the Kirkby International College Board of Directors Chairman was very good, but it still needsin-depth study, said the Deputy Prime Minister,TanSriMuhyiddin Yassin.In the 1950s, most Englishteachers went for teaching training at the Kirkby College ,England for 2 yearsand the results was the production ofexcellent teachersinthe language. Why not..For 2 years, the communication was with English native speakers..In addition, this could give opportunity for teachers to diveinto theirculturewhich led tothe formation ofEnglish, as pointed out byTanSriYahaya.Indeed, ifgiven the chance, Ialso wanted toattend the course..but alas, I have togivethe golden chance to single teachers...because, although it would take 'only'twoyears, a lot of sacrifices haveto be done..not only to the family, but as well asto our studentswho thirst forknowledgehere...

There is alsoa proposal tolet excellentlocalteachersprovidingcourseshere....Just to ensure of no 'wasting of money' issue to occur.. Hmmm....Wehave to wait and see ...Yesor not,whichis which.... We teachers are really hunger for more and more knowledge and proficiency for the sake of our pupils..

9. Watch DVDs rather than TV. It’s better to use something that you can watch over again to catch information you might have missed the first time.

10. Watching TV only gives you the chance to hear something correctly first time. This is better for high level students. It can be great practice for speaking to native English speakers so you don’t have to ask them to repeat themselves!

11. Children’s books have easier words and are a good alternative to graded readers.

12. Newspapers are a good place to find passive constructs. Read through an article and see if you can find the passive sentences.

13. Read for the general meaning first. Don’t worry about understanding every word, then go back and look up new words.

14. For a word you don’t understand in a sentence, look at the other words around it. They will give you a hint. Try to guess the meaning from the context.

15. Learn root words. They’ll help you guess the meaning of words. For example: scrib = write, min= small

16. When you learn a new word, think of all its other forms: Beautiful (adjective), beauty (noun),beautifully (adverb).

17. Learn prefixes (dis-, un-, re-) and suffixes (-ly, -ment, -ful), these will help you to figure out the meaning of words and build your vocabulary.

18. Use English whenever you can. It’s as simple as that!

19. Don’t translate into English from your own language. Think in English to improve your fluency. Talk to yourself…but not on the bus otherwise people will think you have gone crazy!

20. You can’t learn English from a book. Like driving a car, you can only learn through doing it.

21. The most natural way to learn grammar is through talking.

22. Keep an English diary or journal. Start by writing a few sentences a day and then get into the habit of writing more.

23. Sing your heart out! Show the world your beautiful voice! Learn English songs and sing along with them to improve fluency and intonation… anyone for Karaoke?

24. Get a penfriend or use chat-rooms, forums and community sites. If you can’t speak to someone in English, this is the next best thing.

25. Have English radio on in your house. Even if you are not actively listening to it, you will still be training your ears.

26. Mirror CDs. Read out loud along with a CD. Again, this is great for intonation, pronunciation and rhythm.

27. Dictation. Listen to a CD or friend and write down what you hear.

28. Nobody likes to hear their own voice, but be brave and try it! Record your voice and listen to your pronunciation and intonation. It will help you to identify your problem areas.

29. Ask your helpful teacher if you can record his lesson. This is a great way to review. You can also listen to your teachers speaking speed and intonation.

30. Use an English/English dictionary as it will help you to keep thinking in English and not translating.

31. If an English/English dictionary seems scary, there are learner’s dictionaries for English students of your level.

32. Don’t become too reliant on your dictionary. Your dictionary should be an aid, not your main teacher. Try to guess the meaning of words rather than going straight for your dictionary.

33. Don’t give up! Stay positive! Sometimes you will feel that you aren’t learning quickly enough. Everyone feels like this, don’t worry about it. You’ll get there in the end.

34. Enjoy it! We learn more when we are having fun!

35. If you get nervous when speaking, take two deep breaths before you say something. You’ll speak better when you feel relaxed.

36. You are never too young or too old to start learning English. Don’t make excuses not to learn. What are you waiting for?

37. Carry cue cards with you. These are small cards which you can write new words on. You can pull them out and look at them whenever you have a free minute.

38. Use post-it notes and stick them around your home. You can use them to label things. Stick one on your pet cat!

39. You can’t ignore phrasal verbs (two words verbs), there are hundreds of them in English and they’re widely used. The more you focus on their meaning, the more you’ll be able to guess the meaning of new ones. You’ll start to recognise their patterns.

40. Gather your thoughts. Take a second to think about what you’re going to say. You know the grammar, but maybe you don’t use it correctly when you speak.

41. Meet new people. Make the effort to mix with English speakers in your town.

42. Be the person to start conversations in English. Try to keep the conversations moving and use listening words (‘really?’ / ‘go on…’/ ‘what happened then?’) Don’t wait for others to speak to you. Get in there!

43. Learn English with a friend. You’ll have someone you can practice with and you can motivate each other to study.

44. Idioms can be difficult to memorise, but they are great fun to use and they’ll make your English more colourful.

45. Use the correct article (a/an, the). Be aware that there is more to this rule than a/an= non specific, the=specific. For example: A university (not an university because it begins with a consonant sound). An hour (not a hour because the ‘h’ is often silent).

46. For fluency, try image training. Before you go to that restaurant think through what the waiter is likely to say to you. Think of what phrases you are going to use.

47. Get yourself a qualified teacher. Who wants to learn wrong things?

48. Nobody can learn all of the English language. No need to worry about trying. A useful shortcut to learning is that in English we have lots of words that have the same pronunciation, but a different spelling and meaning. For example, ‘come here’ has the same pronunciation as, ‘I can hear the birds’. You might find it easier to build vocabulary by knowing the different meanings.

49. Once you have a basic level of English explore the different ways you can say the same thing. This makes your English more interesting to the listener and it shouldn’t be too difficult for you because you already know the basics. For example, how many ways can we say, ‘Goodbye' in English?

50. And finally.....Don't sit next to people who won't speak to you in English.

Wednesday, 22 February 2012

Content :1. Reminder from
the headmistress about the transmission of the record book along
with the annual lesson plan, how to fill a complete record
book, the importance of keeping good record books and to bring teaching
and learning materials in doing L&T in the classroom.

2. Filling Analysis System Examination School as the date specified.

3. Aware
of the importance of government policies such as the USSR and MBMMBI

4. Teaching entirely in English and encourage students to
speak in English.

5. Filling TOV marks in the record books.

6. The exam paper must be made according to JSU and different levels
of students.

7. Conducting post mortem after each test and examination.

8. Record the impact of good or bad in the record books.

9. Maintaining neatness and control of class before running L & T in the classroom.

10. Encourage peer teaching to pupils.

11. Display the student's work if necessary.

12. Provide adequate work or exercises appropriate to the level
of student abilities.

13. Yearly Scheme of Work must follow the school calendar.

14. Coordinator for
the Year 2012:

Year 1 - Azlinawati bt Sofian

Year 2 - Nurul Ezzah bt Ishak

Year 3 - Mariani bt Aziz

Year 4 - Suhaila bt Samsuddin

Year 5 - Hazliza bt Kamaruddin

Year 6 - Fadzlina bt Kadri

15. Coordinator for activities:

Story Telling (Level 1) - Intan Erisha bt Jamaluddin

Story Telling (Level 2) - Haslina bt Md Ismail

Public Speaking - Wan Arisah bt Ariffin

Spelling Competition - Hafifah Mazlina bt Mohamed Hamid

Choral Speaking - Fadzlina bt Kadri

Action Song - Intan Erisha bt Jamaluddin

16. The selection of exercise books over the years:

Year 6 : 3 books ( 2s No 1 and 1 No 10)

Year 5 : 3 books ( 2s No 1 and 1 No 10)

Year 4 : 3 books ( 2s No 1 and 1 No 10)

Year 3 : 3 books ( 3s No 1)

Year 2 : 3 books ( No 1, No 3 and No 4)

Year 1 : 2 books ( No 1 and No 4)

17. Encouraging teamwork, drilling and leisure teaching.

18. Lesson Study will be held at the school for Bahasa Malaysia, English Language and History conducted
by Excellent Teachers who will be invited.

Monday, 20 February 2012

Here are some different types of
poems to try in your classroom or at home for fun.

1.ACROSTIC

In Acrostic
poems, the first letters of each line are aligned vertically to form a word.

The word
often is the subject of the poem.

An example
is-

Elegantly and efficiently shaped

Good to eat

Great fun to find at Easter

Smooth shelled

2.ALPHABETEach line
begins with the letters of the alphabet in order.

An example
-

A young girl was busy working on her project for school

But suddenly she
had a question.

Could this be her
lucky day?

Deciding to find
out, she

Entered her
backyard and

Found hundreds of green shamrocks waiting for her.

Another type
of alphabet poem requires you to use all 26 letters of the alphabet in your
poem.

3.AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL:

Write a poem
about yourself using this form or
another poetry form.

Line 1: __
Your name

Line 2: _,
_, _ 3 personal characteristics or physical traits

Line 3:
Brother or sister of__ or son/daughter of

Line 4: Who
loves__, __, and __ 3 people, things, ideas

Line 5: Who
feels__ about__1 emotion about 1 thing

Line 6: Who
needs__, __, and __ 3 things you need

Line 7: Who
gives __, __, and __3 objects you share

Line 8: Who
fears__, __, and __3 items

Line 9:
Who'd like to see, __1 place, or person

Line 10: Who
dreams of __ 1 item or idea

Line 11: A
student of__ your school or teacher's name

Line 12: __
Nickname or repeat your first name4.BALLAD:Retell an
event in history, in the news, or in your life as a ballad.

You will
want the ballad to rhyme. You may copy the style of other poets.

An example
is -

Joan
of Arc

The day was cold,

Both armies bold,

As hands grasped the ladders,

Ramparts were scaled,

Arrows were sailed,

But the French climbed the Tourelles.

Although Joan was hit in the shoulder,

The French continued to grow bolder,

Even slowly healing in a field,

She raised a fiery French revolt,

Just hit by a crossbow bolt,

Armor glistening white.

The English got cold feet,

And began a hasty retreat,

As French crawled out of Orleans,

Passing the cold river on boards,

Attacking English with sharp swords,

They set the Tourelles on fire.

English Captain Sir Glasdale,

Certainly looked very pale,

When they found him drowned in the river,

Sir Talbot ordered the English forts be
left,

To avoid anymore French fort theft,

And so Orleans was freed.

-Pierce

5.CINQUAIN: (History of)

Cinquains
have five lines

Line 1:
Title (noun) - 1 word

Line 2:
Description - 2 words

Line 3:
Action - 3 words

Line 4:
Feeling (phrase) - 4 words

Line 5:
Title (synonym for the title) - 1 word

An example
is -

Mom

Helpful, caring

Loves to garden

Excitable, likes satisfying people

6.COLOR:

A poem about
your favorite color. Express your feelings about a single color with analogies
or similes or list nouns which are (or remind you of) that color. Another easy
form is to use the 5 senses-looks like, sounds like, smells like, tastes like,
feels like.

Color looks like

Color sounds like

Color smells like

Color tastes like

Color feels like

An example
is -

Orange

Orange is feeling in your stomach after an
orange soda quenched your thirst.

Orange is the sun after a summer day.

Orange is the sound of a field filled with
dandelions blowing in the wind.

Orange is the taste of a pizza that just
came out of the oven.

Orange is the sound of a busy bumblebee.

Orange is the taste of cold glass of orange
juice.

Orange is the feeling inside you when you
accomplish something.

Orange is the sound of a tomato plant
growing.

Orange is the color of a carrot that just
popped out of the ground.

Orange is the smell of a Tiger-Lily petal.

Orange is the feeling after a baby smiles.

Orange is the color of a brown beaver's
incisor.

Orange is the smell of a late July day.

Orange is the feeling of a puppy's fur.

Orange is the color of peach marmalade on a
side of toast.

Orange is the sound of a canoe paddling
through shallow water.

And orange is a color that is safe and
alive.

Julia

7.DIAMANTE:

The Diamante
is a form similar to the Cinquain. The text forms the shape of a diamond.

Line 1: Noun
or subject - one word

Line 2: Two
Adjectives that describe line 1

Line 3:
Three 'ing words that describe line 1

Line 4: Four
nouns - the first two are connected with line 1; the last two are connected
with line 7

Line 5:
Three 'ing words that describe line 7

Line 6: Two
adjectives that describe line 7

Line 7: Noun
Synonym for the subject

An example is-

Pencil

Sharp, skinny

Writing, answering, erasing

Wood, lead, ink, plastic

Drawing, smudging, leaking

Durable, comfortable

By Abbie

8.EPITAPH:

"Here lies Sam Shay,

Smoked six packs a day.

He started smoking when he was five.

Now that fool is no longer alive."

Explorer
Poems:

Remember "In 1492, Columbus sailed
the ocean blue"? I mentioned that line to my students while we were doing
explorer reports, and they assured me they had never heard of it before. So, it
made great sense to assign explorer poems. The plan was to start with 5-10
facts about the explorer from their reports. Then we reviewed simple rhyme
schemes and discussed poetic license. The students began their poems in class,
and then took them home to share (and revise) with parents.

9.HAIKU:

Haiku is
Japanese poetry that reflects on nature and feelings. You use your observation
skills to write what you see in a new or different way.

There are
three lines with five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the
second, and five syllables in the third.

Harry Potter
haiku –

His hair black as night

A lightning scar tells his life

He is a legend.

-- Cherie,
age 10

A powerful blast

Harry is blown off his feet

From the shadow steps ...

-- Alyssa,
age 12

10.I WISH POEMS:

Each line of
the poem begins with the words "I wish" and then you fill in your
ideas.

The poem
should be 8-10 lines long.

E.g:

I wish I had three day weekends

I wish I had a nap at noon

I wish I had more time to play

I wish I had greener grass

I wish I had whiter teeth

I wish I had summer year round

I wish I had six pack abs

I wish I had a magic wand

to make all my wishes

come true.

11.LIES:

Here is your
chance to tell a falsehood and not get punished!

In this type
of poem, each line contains an outrageous lie.

Each line
must begin differently.

The main
rule is not to say anything that hurts anyone.

12.LIMERICK:

A limerick
has five lines.

The last
words of lines one, two, and five rhyme.

The last
words of lines three and four rhyme.

A limerick
has to have a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables.

I can hardly find this song in youtube or whatsoever..It seems that I have to pay just to listen to the whole song.. This is the one that I still remember taught by my primary school teacher when I was 10.

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About Me

....an effort of the English Language Panel of SK Taman Bunga Raya 1 to help pupils in mastering this global language and to cultivate interest in learning this language. Furthermore, our life is surrounded by this language; the environment, media ,etc.... Don't say you can't..YOU CAN!